About Guided Futures Advocacy
Our Mission
Guided Futures Advocacy was established with a clear purpose: to support vulnerable adults through independent safeguarding oversight, wellbeing monitoring, and professional advocacy.
Many vulnerable adults rely on a network of professionals, care providers, supported living services, residential placements, and family members to help meet their needs. While these systems provide essential support, independent oversight can offer an additional layer of assurance by providing regular, objective insight into an individual's wellbeing, safety, and quality of support.
Guided Futures Advocacy works alongside local authorities, care providers, families, and other professionals to help identify concerns early, promote accountability, and support positive outcomes for vulnerable adults.
Through independent visits, wellbeing observations, safeguarding reviews, and structured reporting, we help ensure that individuals remain visible, heard, and protected. Our approach focuses on early identification of emerging concerns, enabling timely intervention before issues develop into more significant safeguarding incidents, placement breakdowns, or reductions in wellbeing.
Where concerns are identified, we provide clear, evidence-based reporting and practical recommendations to support continuous improvement and safer outcomes.
Our work is underpinned by safeguarding principles, professional integrity, transparency, and a commitment to promoting the safety, wellbeing, rights, and dignity of every individual we support.
Meet the Team
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Shadie Banton-John
Founder & Designated Safeguarding Lead
Guided Futures Advocacy was founded by Shadie Banton-John, a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst with over 16 years of experience working with children and young people with additional needs across family homes, schools, nurseries, and community settings. Throughout her career, Shadie has designed and delivered programmes supporting children with complex needs while working closely with families, education providers, and professionals to ensure the highest standards of safeguarding, wellbeing, and care. She is also the founder of SEN Sports, an inclusive sports organisation operating multiple clubs across different local authorities and partnering with organisations such as Special Olympics Great Britain. In addition, Shadie is a registered childminder regulated by Ofsted, giving her further direct experience in safeguarding, compliance, and working closely with families. This combination of behavioural expertise, safeguarding practice, and operational leadership underpins the standards that Guided Futures Advocacy will bring to every family and local authority partnership. -
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Keah-Myte
Guided Futures Advocacy Advisory Board
Qualified Social Worker and Experienced Paediatric Healthcare Professional
Extensive experience supporting children and young people with complex needs, neurodisabilities and safeguarding concerns. She has worked across healthcare and local authority services, including adolescent early help, safeguarding social work and leaving care teams, where she has supported vulnerable young people and their families through holistic assessments and multi-agency collaboration. As Director of Treble Care Ltd, Keah provides independent, family-centred support for children with additional needs. She brings valuable expertise in safeguarding, SEND support and family advocacy to the Guided Futures Advocacy Advisory Board, helping ensure services remain ethical, practical and focused on improving outcomes for families.
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David M.
Guided Futures Advocacy Advisory Board
Headteacher, The Gatwick School
David is an experienced Headteacher with a strong commitment to inclusive education and safeguarding. As Headteacher of The Gatwick School, he brings extensive leadership experience in supporting children and young people across a wide range of needs, including those with SEND.
David is a member of the West Sussex, DfE Local Inclusion Support Offer (LISO) board and a Trustee for Small Steps Children’s Charity, demonstrating his dedication to safeguarding, early intervention, and improving outcomes for vulnerable children and families.
His expertise in school leadership, safeguarding systems, and multi-agency working provides valuable insight to Guided Futures Advocacy, helping to ensure that services remain aligned with best practice and truly centred around the needs and wellbeing of children.
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Kate W.
Guided Futures Advocacy Advisory Board
Chartered Governance Professional
Kate Cummins Warkman is a Chartered Governance Professional and Company Secretary, bringing specialist expertise in governance, compliance, and organisational oversight. As an Associate of the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland (ACG), she has a strong foundation in ensuring organisations operate with integrity, transparency, and accountability.
Kate’s experience in corporate governance provides valuable support to Guided Futures Advocacy, helping to ensure robust structures, clear decision-making processes, and adherence to best practice. Her role strengthens the organisation’s commitment to operating ethically and professionally, particularly as it grows to support families and vulnerable individuals.
Her insight is instrumental in ensuring that Guided Futures Advocacy maintains the highest standards of governance while delivering impactful and trustworthy services.
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Nicole M.
Guided Futures Advocacy Advisory Board
Social Worker, Children’s Services
Nicole is a registered Social Worker currently practising within children’s Services. With frontline experience supporting children and families, she brings valuable insight into safeguarding, statutory processes, and the complexities of multi-agency working.
Registered with Social Work England, Nicole is committed to promoting the safety, wellbeing, and best interests of children, particularly those who are vulnerable or have additional needs.
Her practical experience within local authority services strengthens Guided Futures Advocacy’s approach, ensuring it remains grounded in current safeguarding standards and real-world practice.
